Packaging strip having accordion pleated cushions



May 16, 1961 A. w. GAULKE 2,984,39

PACKAGING STRIP HAVING ACCORDION PLEATED CUSHIONS Filed July so, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ARTHUR W. GAULKE AT TORNEYS y 1961 A. w. GAULKE2,984,399

PACKAGING STRIP HAVING ACCORDION PLEATED CUSHIONS Filed July 30, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 O a jzg i @4? INVENTOR ARTHUR W. GAULKE ATTORNEYS UniteStates Patent PACKAGING STRIP HAVING ACCORDION PLEATED CUSHIONS ArthurW. Gaulke, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Vauant Company, Inc., Milwaukee,Wis., a corporation Filed July 30, 1957, Ser. No. 675,156

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-14) This invention appertains to the packaging offragile articles for shipping and more particularly to a novel packagingstrip for encircling the periphery of a fragile article, such as a sheetof glass and the invention is an improvement over the packaging stripshown in my pending application Serial Number 640,230 filed February 14,1957, now abandoned.

One of the primary objects of my present invention is the provision of apackaging strip for encircling and receiving the peripheral edge of asheet of glass or the like in such a manner that the glass will beresiliently supported at all points, when the glass and strip are placedin a shipping carton, so as to prevent breakage of the glass incident tojolts and jars during handling and shipping.

Another salient object of the invention is the provision of a packagingstrip embodying a base ply or web having formed thereon or securedthereto at spaced points outwardly extending resilient cushioningmembers arranged in a longitudinal row, the outer ends of said membersbeing slotted for receiving the edge of the glass.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a plurality ofoutwardly extending resilient cushioning members united by a base web ortie, the cushioning members each including side walls pleated to formresilient bellows folds and a connecting peak slotted to re ceive theedge of the sheet or the like to be protected.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of a novelmeans for forming the protecting strip, whereby the base ply or web andthe cushioning members can be economically formed from a single lengthof material.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of novel meansfor forming the connecting peaks of the cushioning members, whereby notonly will the fragile article be received inslots formed in the peaks,but whereby the material struck from the slots will form means forsupporting the glass and for acting as a bridge between the accordionpleated sides of the cushioning members.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a fragment of thestrip, showing the same supporting a sheet of glass, the section beingtaken on the line 11 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of thearrows;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a fragment of my improved strip;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken onthe line 44 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows,illustrating a modified form of the accordion pleated cushioningmembers;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the modified form of thestrip taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of thearrows;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing a stillfurther modified form of the cushioning strip, the section being takenon the line 6-6 of Figure 7, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view of a still further modified formof the strip, the section being taken on the line 7--7 of Figure. 6,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter S generally indicates my improved cushioning strip and thesame embodies a base ply, web or tie 10, and a plurality of outwardlyextending, longitudinally spaced cushioning members 11.

As brought out in my pending application-heretofore referred to, thestrip S is preferably of a width equal to the interior width of a cartonand the same is adapted to encircle and receive the peripheral edge of afragile article, such as a sheet of glass G shown in Figures 1 and 3.The strip is preferably formed from cardboard, chipboard, corrugatedboard or the like.

The base ply, web or tie 10 consists of a longitudinal length ofmaterial and the cushioning members 11 are arranged in a longitudinalrow. The cushioning members themselves extend transversely of the baseweb 10. Each of the cushioning members include side walls 12 and 13 andthese walls are provided with a series of accordion pleats 14 to form abellows effect and the side walls 12 and 13 are united at their outerends by a. peak. Each peak 15 is slotted, as at 16, and the slots 16 ofall of the cushioning members are arranged in longitudinal alignment,whereby the edge of a sheet of glass can be inserted therein, as bestshown in Figures 1 and 3. The material struck out from the slots 16defines a connecting bridge 17 and the edge of the glass seats on thesebridges. These bridges or seats 17 also constitute a connection for thewalls 12 and 13 so as to prevent the spreading apart of these walls andthe flattening out of the peaks 16.

The strip S with its base web 10 and cushioning members 11 can be formedin various manners and it is preferrect to form the strip from a singlelength of material and to fold the material to form the base web and thecushioning members 11.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the base web is folded and broughtoutwardly and pleated to first form a side wall 12 and then theconnecting peak 16 and then downwardly and pleated to form the side wall13 down to the base. This normally leaves the inner ends of thecushioning members 11 open and pull on the base strip in a longitudinaldirection will spread the side walls 12 and 13 of the cushioning members11 apart. To overcome this, the abutting edges of the lower bellowsfolds of the side walls 12 and 13 and the folded part of the base webare firmly united together. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, wirestitching or staples 18 can be utilized for this purpose.

As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the inner folds of the side walls 12and 13 can also be tied or secured together by the use of wire stitchesor staples 19. This will also prevent the spreading of the side walls 12and 13.

In Figures 6 and 7, I have illustrated another means of folding the basestrip to form the cushioning members 11 and in this form the base stripor web 10 is folded c0mpletely back on itself, as at 20, to form a basefor each cushioning member, and this folded back portion 20 is thenbrought up and accordion pleated to form the wall 12 after which theconnecting peak 16 is formed and the material is then accordion pleatedto form the opposite side wall 13. The lower pleat is then brought downover the base 29 and continues to form the connecting base of the strip.Wire stitches or staples 21 and 22 are utilized for holding the basefold '20, the inner ends of the walls 12 and'13 and the base "strip 10in their completed, folded position.

Much stress is laid on the formation of the cushioning members 1 1 andthe accordion pleated side walls 12 and 13 give a very desirablecushioning effect for absorbing shocks and jolts and actually eachcushioning member is resilient in nature and can be compressed understrain without material damages to the cushioning members.

Various other changes in details can be made without departing from thespirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

l. A wrap-around packaging strip comprising a plurality ofequidistan'tly spaced outwardly extending resilient shock-absorbingcushioning members, a base ply conmeeting said members and constitutinga tie between said members, means securing said members to said base plyand said members being arranged in a longitudinal row and each includingaccordion pleated side walls and a connecting peak, the peaks beingslotted with the slots extending transversely of the pleats and inlongitudinal alignment for receiving the edge of an article to beprotected.

2. A wrap-around packaging strip comprising a base web and a pluralityof outwardly extending resilient cushioning members arranged in spacedrelation to one another and in a longitudinal row, said strip andcushioning members being formed from a single piece of material,

ieach of said cushioning members including pleated side walls and aconnecting peak, the side Walls being bent out from the base web, andmeans firmly uniting the adjacent edges of the side walls of thecushioning members at the web, whereby to prevent the pulling apart ofthe said side walls at the web.

3. A packaging strip as defined in claim 2, and means firmly uniting theadjacent inner folds of the accordion pleats of the side walls togetherwhereby to prevent spreading of said pleats.

4. A packaging strip for fragile articles comprising a base web and anoutwardly extending resilient cushioning member extending transverselythereof, said cushioning member including side walls and a connectingouter peak, said side walls including a plurality of resilient accordionpleats, the web and the cushioning members being formed from a singlepiece of material and said base web being folded back upon itself andthen folded to form a side wall, a peak, and the other side wall, andmeans firmly securing the folded back portion of the web and the lowerends of the pleats of the side walls to the base web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS987,958 Clenny Mar. 28, 1911 1,196,320 Weber Aug. 29, 1916 2,603,349 VanAntwerpen July 15, 1952 2,741,362 Cortwright Apr. 10, 1956 2,742,219 VanAntwerpen Apr. 17, 1 956 2,776,745 Van Antwerpen Jan. 8, 1957

